Marketplace for Monday, May 12, 2008

A small amount of Israel's organic foods are being produced out of settlements in the West Bank -- which is reason for some consumers to buy them, and for others not to. But Daniel Estrin reports it's often hard for the buyer to know.

American Airlines has joined the list of carriers charging an extra $25 to passengers who check a second bag. Add to that fuel surcharges and other fees and, as Nancy Marshall Genzer reports, the airlines could send customers packing.

A new Jewish lobbying firm called "J Street" has set up shop in Washington. Kai Ryssdal talks with its Executive Director Jeremy Ben Ami about why the group thinks there's room for a different approach to the Middle East and foreign policy.

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says he's only going to keep about 40% of the current Bear Stearns staff on the payroll. That decision is going to make an already tough job market on Wall Street even more difficult. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports.

Commentator Fareed Zakaria says the growth of developing economies is a major factor in our current economic crisis. We know how to handle a recession, he says, but the worldwide growth we're now seeing isn't something we've dealt with before.

Morgan Stanley announced today it has collected $4 billion for a new infrastructure fund. Credit Suisse and General Electric did them one better, raising more than $5 billion. Jill Barshay reports on where they're going to put all that money.

The Supreme Court today let a lower-court ruling stand on whether apartheid victims can sue American companies that dealt with South Africa's former apartheid government. The reason: four justices had to recuse themselves. Jeremy Hobson reports.

More than 8,600 people are known dead from a 7.8 earthquake that hit the southwest China province of Sichuan. Host Kai Ryssdal gets the lastest details from Marketplace's China correspondent Scott Tong.

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